Low-Calorie, Lower Fat Alternative Foods

These low-calorie alternatives provide new ideas for old
favorites. When making a food choice, remember to consider vitamins and
minerals. Some foods provide most of their calories from sugar and fat but give
you few, if any, vitamins and minerals.

This guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list. We encourage you to read labels to find out just how many calories are in the specific products
you decide to buy.

As a substitute for oil
or butter, use applesauce or prune puree in baked goods

Miscellaneous

Higher Fat Foods

Lower Fat Alternative

Canned cream
soups

Canned broth-based
soups

Canned beans and
franks

Canned baked beans in
tomato sauce

Gravy (homemade with fat
and/or milk)

Gravy mixes made with
water or homemade with the fat skimmed off and fat-free milk

Fudge sauce

Chocolate
syrup

Avocado on
sandwiches

Cucumber slices or
lettuce leaves

Guacamole dip or refried
beans with lard

Salsa

Healthy Weight Tip

Replacing high calorie/high fat foods with lower fat/lower calorie choices is a great way to lose or maintain weight and build healthy lifetime habits. Some changes can be made gradually. For example, start by replacing whole milk with 2 percent milk, then gradually make the switch to 1 percent or fat-free (skim) milk.

Looking for easy-to-use information for losing and maintaining weight?

The Aim for a Healthy Weight booklet includes portion and serving size information, sample reduced calorie menus, tips on dining out, a sample walking program, a weekly food and activity diary, and more.